


if you're gonna love someone, let it be me

by iamalystark, scooter3scooter



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, BAMF Harley Keener, BAMF Peter Parker, Big Brother Harley Keener, College visits, Communication, Communication Failure, Crying, Crying Harley Keener, Crying Peter Parker, Crying Tony Stark, Daddy Issues, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Everyone Needs A Hug, Gen, Happy Ending, Harley Keener & Peter Parker Friendship, Harley Keener Feels, Harley Keener Needs a Hug, Harley Keener cries, Hopeful Ending, Humor, Hurt, Hurt Harley Keener, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous, Jealous Harley Keener, Jealous Peter Parker, Jealousy, Lack of Communication, Men Crying, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Oblivious Peter Parker, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, POV Harley Keener, POV Multiple, POV Peter Parker, Peter Parker Cries, Peter Parker Feels, Peter Parker Has Issues, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Peter Parker is a Mess, Pre-Slash, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Harley Keener, Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Sad with a Happy Ending, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Doubt, Self-Esteem Issues, Some Humor, Switching Perspectives, Teen Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Harley Keener's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Cries, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark is Good With Kids, cries, hinted romance - Freeform, multiple POVs, switching POVs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25816213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamalystark/pseuds/iamalystark, https://archiveofourown.org/users/scooter3scooter/pseuds/scooter3scooter
Summary: Upon arriving back at the common floor, we were there no more than twenty minutes just chilling before the elevator door opened and a teenage boy that I swear is the definition of the word smol entered the floor. And god dammit why is he so cute? I tried to shake off any sense of cuteness he may have, because this kid, this ‘intern’ is intruding on my only time with Tony. Screw him and his cute face.—Or, Peter and Harley meet for the first time and are overfilled with jealousy of each other.
Relationships: Harley Keener & Peter Parker, Harley Keener & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Harley Keener & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 22
Kudos: 215





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! we sincerely hope you enjoy this story and can't wait to hear your guys' thoughts and feedback! chapter one was written by the lovely scooter3scooter. :)

_Harley's POV_

Of all the scenarios I thought up about seeing Tony Stark again after all these years, him exclaiming, “You’re so _tall_ !” the second I got off his private plane did not make it on that list. _Walk normally Keener, walk like a normal person. Or strut, that works too._

Thank god I didn’t trip down the stupid plane stairs.

But of course since I can obviously take everything in stride it was easy to quip back with, “I’m actually no taller, you just shrunk, Old Man,” and that is what got his smile to change from that cliche Stark grin he gives to the press into one that makes his eyes crinkle, ironically making him look even older. How fitting.

Finally reaching the man, he clapped a hand on my shoulder _and I totally didn’t lean into the touch, what are you talking about?_ “You’re the one that suddenly turned into an adult, you’re halfway to elderly now,” he laughed as he led me over to his car that _oh my god, I could sell that and pay rent for years on that_. Tossing my worn out suitcase in the car, which is totally not disgraceful to have such a piece of shit in something that costs more than I’m worth on the black market.

Tony slid into the driver's seat, only beginning to drive after I was properly in my own seat and buckled in, because apparently Tony Stark cares about car regulations now? If I remember correctly, he drove us off the road at least once back in the day. As soon as we were out of the private airport area, he asked, “So, any colleges you have in mind to visit?” 

Ah yes, the actual reason I’m here, because us having a ‘connection’ isn’t enough reason for him to fly me out. _As if he ever bought into my childish bullshit._ I gave a casual shrug, my only _slightly_ too short leather jacket pulling up at the movement, “Isn’t that your job? You’re the one who lives here, not me.” _Don’t be an asshole, Keener, you’re lucky he even invited you._

He gave me another one of those soft chuckles, such a foreign sound from a man of iron. “Well it’s kind of hard to plan when I don’t know what major you’re looking into. Have you figured that out yet?” I didn’t pause because I didn’t know how to answer, no it was his change of tone. It’s like he took on some kind of warmth in the question, I can’t quite place what it reminds me of though. 

“I was looking into engineering and stuff like that, but I dunno exactly what I’m looking for,” and he did it again. He placed his hand on my shoulder, and I swear I didn’t mean to lean into the touch, but can you blame me? _Did he ever even touch me when we met? And now he casually touched me twice in such a comforting manner? Who is this guy?_

_He must just be overcompensating for not seeing me in so long. Yeah, that must be it._

He kept that soft warm tone, “hey, it’s okay to not know yet,” he assured me, “we can visit as many universities as you want this week. We can even go down to MIT,” I would not have even needed to look up to know he winked at me. He continued before I could think of some sarcastic remark, “today though, I think it would be best to just have a more chill night. Give you some time to rest after the flight.”

As much as my assholeish personality wanted to argue that I don’t need any rest, I ain’t no baby, I couldn’t argue that a chill night with Tony Stark sounded like everyone I ever dreamed for. I couldn’t just be quietly compliant though, who do you think I am? “Whatever you say, Tin Man. You just need to go to bed early so your old bones don’t fail on you.” 

He totally not super obviously rolled his eyes at me. Instead of quipping back, somehow his voice became even softer, “While I’m thinking about it, I want to ask whether the bullying got better in high school?” _First of all, why would he be thinking about that, and second what?_

As much as I tried to come off as nonchalant, even I have to admit I sounded flustered, “Yeah, yeah it was fine. Nothing to worry about,” though he did not look convinced, he let the subject drop. He opted instead to play way too loud rock music. I think it was AC/DC, or maybe Led Zeppelin. _Why would he care? We haven’t even seen each other in a thousand years, it’s not like he’s my… oh my god. Holy shit, he’s like a dad! That tone of voice, the way he’s been treating me, it’s like a good dad would. At least I think so._

But I was quick to try to shove down those stupid thoughts, it’s probably my wishful thinking again. Just like last time… 

The rest of the ride to the Avengers Tower was relatively quiet, the music was still blasting but the only talk was comments on the songs or the places we were driving past. He continually pointed out various places he claimed he would bring me to this week and I could not help but notice how utterly expensive everything looked. Like, I always knew Tony was rich as hell but good god this is kind of excessive. _Not that I’m complaining._

Arriving at the tower I couldn’t help but gape at the absolute grandness of the building like holy shit! Though, the Tin Man just strutted in with all the confidence in the world. I mean, he literally does own the place. And I was left following him like a lost puppy failing at looking as confident as the superhero before me. Entering the elevator, he called out, “Fri, take us up to my floor.”

I could not help but ask, who this ‘Fri’ person was, because I possess like a negative four level of self control. But instead of Tony answering, a woman’s voice scared the ever living shit outta me. “I am Boss’s Artificial Intelligence, Friday.” 

“Holy hell,” I breathed out, flicking my eyes around the elevator trying to find the source of the voice, “I thought that other guy was your AI?” I questioned off handedly when I couldn’t figure out where Friday’s voice was coming from.

Only when the superhero cleared his throat did I look back at the man, “he’s gone now,” he said it plainly and as obnoxious as I am, even I knew better than to press him in the matter. Though, my attention quickly shifted anyway because I was once again gaping like a fish upon seeing how utterly extravagant the floor was. Immediately exiting the elevator I was slammed with a sense of _expensive expensive expensive!_

In front of me were a couple couches that looked much too plush to be real surrounding a television so large I swear it could be a movie screen. On one side was a hallway leading to who knows where, and off to the other side was a pristine kitchen. Every single detail just screamed _money_ but yet still looked comfortable somehow. Though, the one thing that stuck out, the thing that clearly did not belong in this place of luxury was what appeared to be a textbook of some kind, like that you would get at school. Though, before I could joke about Tony’s intelligence decreasing to the point he needs to redo high school, he spoke up.

The Old Man announced, “I’ll show you around and then we can figure out what to do tonight,” with that he turned and made his way down the hall, only having given me a minute to process the floor. Speed walking to keep up with the man, I couldn’t help gawking at every level of exuberance of everything around me. Yet again, there was one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb. Walking down the hall each door looked the same, _which to my simple southern mind seemed like a plain stupid idea because how can you tell every door apart?_ , except one door. Or rather the handle. One door handle looked crushed, like in The Incredibles when Mr. Incredible destroyed his boss’s doorknob.

That would be weirder if I wasn’t in the Avengers Tower. 

Showing me around the floor, he led me to a guest room to which I dropped off my stuff. I ignored Tony rolling his eyes at me when I kicked off my shoes like a child. With that out of the way, he decided to show me what a real lab looks like. You would think after seeing how extra everything else was that I wouldn’t still be blown away by the lab, but you would be wrong. Looking around, everything looked like you could sell it to pay my entire college tuition.

It was when I was stepping towards what I swear looked like a Spider-Man web shooter that suddenly I felt a pain in my foot like no other. I yelped out, “shit!” Immediately hopping away from the offending object, I dropped to the ground and rubbed my sore foot.

Mr. Iron Heart himself immediately ran over, asking me what happened. Scanning my eyes over the ground I found it, picking up a small LEGO piece, “What the fuck? You really are reverting back into a child. Why the shit do you have LEGO’s?” Though when I looked up at the man in front of me I found no remorse in his eyes at my hurt, no instead I found him failing to stifle a chuckle. “You’re laughing at my pain!” I accused him, I put as much betrayal into my voice that I could without laughing myself.

He reached out a hand, helping me up despite him openly laughing at me now. “It’s my interns LEGO’s, not mine,” he explained, but it was my turn to roll my eyes.

“Yeah, yeah whatever you say. You owe me a fucking good dinner after this kind of trauma,” I grumbled, pointedly keeping my foot off the floor to keep the weight off it. First he lets me be impaled by such a weapon and now he has the audacity to laugh at me? The nerve.

It was like something clicked into place in his brain, “that reminds me, I forgot to mention before my intern will be spending the next few days with us. He should be coming any time,” _wait what?_ “His aunt left to a conference last minute so he needed a place to stay,” Tony said it so casually as if that makes any sort of sense. First of all, I knew I was stupid to think I was special enough to hold Tony Stark’s attention for more than a couple hours. Obviously his intern is more important than some random southern boy he met years ago, but second of all what kind of intern plays with LEGO’s on their job? And why can’t they take care of themselves for a few days while their aunt is out, did he hire a literal baby?

_I knew better than to think this week could actually rekindle mine and Tony’s ‘connection’..._

“I’m sure you’ll love him,” he said it simply before leading me back to the elevator. I even forgot to play up a limp while we walked. Upon arriving back at the common floor, we were there no more than twenty minutes just chilling before the elevator door opened and a teenage boy that I swear is the definition of the word smol entered the floor. And _god dammit why is he so cute?_ I tried to shake off any sense of cuteness he may have, because this kid, this ‘intern’ is intruding on my only time with Tony. Screw him and his cute face.


	2. Chapter 2

_Peter's POV_

Patrolling all day technically hadn't been my plan this morning, so really I hadn't lied to May when she told me to take a day off, seeing as she wouldn't be home in case I got injured or something. Ever since she found out I'm Spider-Man, she's been checking me for wounds all the time. 

Really, I'd been planning on listening to her, but I already finished all my shows on Netflix, and Ned was on vacation with his family, so there wasn't anything I could do besides patrol. I felt slightly guilty as I swung through the city, but I couldn't deny that I was slightly relieved to be Spider-Man without May and Mr. Stark being annoyingly overprotective. 

_I should be happy he cares enough to be protective over me at all..._

I was always slightly unsure if he cared about me or not. Like, of course he does... but does he? I shook my head dismissively, and nearly let go of my web in shock when Karen started speaking. 

"Incoming call from Tony Stark." 

I blinked in confusion, my eyes widening as I landed on a random roof. Then I realized that May could have told him that I was supposed to take a day off. 

"No, don't answer it!" I exclaimed, anxiety buzzing in my veins. But of course he had to push the call through. 

" _That's funny, the tracker in your suit seems to tell me you're miles away from your apartment. But that couldn't be true, you're taking a day off, right?"_ Mr. Stark snarked, his face taking over the screen of my mask. 

"Hey, Mr. Stark." I said, smiling sheepishly. 

" _Hey, Kiddo. So, plans changed. Aunt Hottie called me and apparently her conference is going to last a few more days, so you're staying with me until she gets back."_

I flushed at the thought of needing to be babysat. "Wha- You don't have to do that! I can stay home alone, I'm sixteen."

" _Yeah, well, you try arguing with that scary Italian lady_." Mr. Stark shot back. Did he really just stick his tongue out at me? He's changed a lot since we've met. He's gotten... warmer.

I felt a blush spreading on my face at the thought of Mr. Stark caring about me so much, while at the same time, every single time I ever tried to argue with May flew through my head. 

Nobody could ever argue with her and win. " _Besides, don't you want to hang out with your favorite Avenger?"_

At that, I grinned cheekily. "When did Thor get there?" He made an offended noise and I couldn't help but giggle, slapping my hand over my mouth. "Okay, fine, I'll swing over." 

" _You wound me, Underoos. See you soon, Kid. Oh! The plane landed! I'll have someone for you to meet when you get back."_

With that, he ended the call, and I continued to stand there, blinking owlishly. And that led to now. Well, I also helped a nice lady find her cat, but after that I made my way to the tower. 

It was only when I was in the elevator that I remembered that Mr. Stark wanted me to meet someone. Someone who didn't know I'm Spider-Man. 

So after I changed into some spare clothes on Mr. Stark's floor, I had Friday take me down to the common floor. 

The second the elevator doors opened, I spotted a boy next to Mr. Stark that looked around my age, and my eyes widened. He was tall. And cute. And Mr. Stark had his arm wrapped around him, like he normally wrapped his arm around me. 

When Mr. Stark said he had someone for me to meet, I didn't think it would be someone my age. Someone intruding on my time with _my_ mentor. 

"Hey, Mr. Stark." I greeted cautiously, inching toward him while also trying to keep away from the boy. 

"Hey Underoos! Kid, this is Peter Parker. Pete, this is Harley Keener." Mr. Stark said, smiling widely as he clasped his hand on my shoulder. I leaned into the touch slightly. 

The name was slightly familiar, and I squinted at the blond. We were all silent for a minute as Harley and I stared at each other. 

"Okay," Mr. Stark clapped his hands together, "Harley is staying with us for a week or so, so I can show him some colleges around here." 

I turned my gaze to the man. "But, who is he?"

It was like something clicked in his head. "Oh! Yeah, I met him a few years ago, during the whole 'me dying' thing. He graciously offered to help me even after I insisted I didn't need it." Why was he smiling like that?

"More like, after you broke into my garage, Old Man." Harley retorted, smirking. Why did it look like he was smirking _at me_?

How come I never even knew about this kid Mr. Stark has known for years? "Oh. Um, it's nice to meet you." I stuck my hand out to shake Harley's, but he kept his hands in his pockets. 

"Sorry, I'm a germaphobe." He said, looking me over. I dropped my hand back to my side, squirming slightly under his gaze. 

Mr. Stark _just_ had his arm around him. It struck me then. He thought he was better than me because he knew Mr. Stark longer than me! Well, I didn't even know he existed, so clearly he's not as important as he thinks he is. 

Mr. Stark gave Harley a weird look, then addressed us both, "Alrighty, pizza for dinner! I put them in a little while ago, and they should be done by now."

We made our way into the kitchen and I basically speed walked to the spot next to Mr. Stark's spot, and felt a triumphant grin tug at my lips. 

Mr. Stark set three pizzas on the table just as Harley settled into the spot across from Mr. Stark, and he scowled. At me. 

"Why do we need this much food?" Harley asked Mr. Stark, pointedly not looking at me. 

I shot a nervous look at my mentor, wondering what he was going to say. Ever since he found out about my enhanced metabolism, he makes sure I'm literally stuffed with food. 

"Pete has a bit of a fast metabolism. You know how it is." He told Harley, and I shrunk back from the blond's searching gaze. 

He didn't seem to like me. Fine. It's not like I care. I don't like him either. We ate mostly in silence. Mr. Stark kept trying to talk to us and get us to talk to each other, but it didn't work, and I ate my two pizzas while trying to ignore Harley watching me. 

My mentor looked at a loss, glancing between us and frowning slightly. "Uh... Do you guys want to watch a movie? We could watch a movie." 

While having to sit in the same room as Harley for even longer made me want to jump off a building and not shoot a web, the hope in Mr. Stark's voice squashed my plans to retreat to my room. 

_I should try to be nicer, Mr. Stark likes this kid and he really wants us to get along._ "Sure!" I exclaimed, plastering a smile on my face as I stood up, gathering the dishes to put in the sink. 

"Uh, alright." Harley agreed too. Maybe things wouldn't be too bad? 

"Great! Come help me pick a movie, Kid." 

I opened my mouth to respond but Harley beat me to it. "Kay! I'll help while Peter takes care of the dishes." 

My nose twitched in annoyance. "Yeah..."

I heard them chattering as they walked into the living room, and I took all the plates over to the sink, rinsing them off so none of the sauce or cheese crusted to the porcelain.

I heard a loud laugh as I dried my hands off, and I flinched lightly. Slowly, I padded toward them and stopped at the doorway. Harley was curled into Mr. Stark's side. They were laughing over some sort of inside joke, and didn't seem to notice I wasn't there. 

Or well, Mr. Stark didn't notice. Harley shot me a look I couldn't decipher. 

Mr. Stark called him Kid. _My_ nickname. It was like... It was like he was replacing me. 

"I'm actually really tired. Goodnight, Mr. Stark." I turned and went to my room before I could hear a response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scooter: Oh my word y’all do not know how excited I am to be posting this story. My beloved iamalystark and I have been working on this fic for awhile now. She is an absolutely amazing writer and one of my most favorite people in the multiverse and I am so honored to be able to write with her. She wrote all the Peter POVs and I did all the Harley POVs. I am so so proud of her for writing these wonderful chapters, and this was legit the best co-write I have ever written. Thank you for reading :)  
> (And happy birthday Peter Parker!!!)


	3. Chapter 3

_ Harley’s POV _

Well goodnight to you too you selfish little failure of a pretender.

I did not miss the deeply ingrained worry on the Old Man’s face that even when he tried to pull one of those classic smiles of his I could not be fooled. “I’ll be back in a bit, Harley,” he gave me a small pat on the shoulder as he got up to follow after Peter. Because of course he just had to follow Mr. Teenage Angst.  _ He didn’t even call me by a nickname, who is this guy? _

_ But is Peter actually upset about me stealing time from the guy he seems to see plenty often when I haven’t seen him in forever, or is this just a villainous plan to get Tony all to himself? He did look just about ready to break down and he hasn’t shown any ability to be able to hide his true feelings all evening. Does he actually think the smiles he plasters on his face look genuine? And what the hell was the shit about the pizzas? There’s no way a guy that small can eat that much consistently, high metabolism my ass. _

Though, the second Tony exited the room it was like that gaping hole of loneliness in me only grew, even after a whole hour of him sitting so close to me and having his arm slung around me so casually.  _ If I had let myself, I could have actually believed he really did care. Before Peter came.  _ It’s like he put a bandaid over that hole in me, made me think I could really be whole.

And then fucking Peter whatever his last name is had to rip that bandaid off.

It’s not like it’s my fault he can’t stay home alone for some reason. Maybe he needs supervision so he doesn’t eat all the food in his house like a dog. A cute dog but still a dog.  _ Why the shit is he so cute, it’s like he actually wants me to like him?  _ Yeah maybe I was possibly a bit of an ass at first, but he's the one intruding here! He seems plenty comfortable around Tony so he must be here all the time. He could not even give me one day with the Old Man without intruding?

I’m not sure how long I sat on that overly plush couch thinking before Mr. Iron Heart himself came back, with no Peter in tow. Is it bad that I had to bite back a smirk when there was no puppy like teenager trailing behind the man who  _ I  _ have a connection with?

“Sorry I took so long Harles,”  _ since when does Tony fucking Stark say sorry?  _ “Do you still wanna watch that movie?” If I was not paying extra close attention, I would not have even noticed the underlying sadness lacing his voice. 

I rolled my eyes, finally not biting back my persistent smirk anymore,  _ though it hadn’t been as smug as it was before _ , “of course I wanna watch a movie, who do you think I am?” With a smile that not quite reached his eyes, he sat down next to me. Except this time he didn’t sit close enough for me to casually snuggle close to him,  _ not that Keeners ‘snuggle’ of course,  _ and he didn’t wrap his arm around me. And I’ve never missed such casual touch so much before, like once you get a taste you can finally realize how starved you really were.

“Any ideas what you want to watch?” To my shrug, he told Friday to play something I swear hadn’t even come out in theatres yet.  _ God, when does showing off his money stop? _ And with that the film began. 

Spending time just with Tony, this is what I’ve craved since the second Peter arrived, and yet with every forced laugh the Old Man made at the stupid jokes in the movie and the lame insults at plot holes, I couldn’t help but feel like it’s my fault.  _ But is it really that wrong to be upset when you’re one and only chance to spend time with someone you’ve admired your whole life is taken away by some kid you didn’t even know existed?  _ Yeah I wasn’t technically trying to be what you could call polite, but I was not a complete monster either. 

Then again, with Peter being so mopey now Tony can’t even give a real smile at the comedy, and if the rest of the week is like this then I was better off not coming at all. Would Peter be less like… that, if I was less of an asshole? It’s worth it, I guess, to choke down my natural assiness if it means Tony is back to what he was like before Peter came. 

The movie finished before I really got a chance to get invested, too distracted by my own insistent thoughts. “What did you think?” Tony tried to make conversation despite how painfully obviously out of it he is.

I still forced a smile, “it was pretty good. What did ya think, Tin Man?” My smile became ever so slightly less forced when he rolled his eyes at me, or rather my nickname.  _ I need to keep this Tony, the fun and kind version of him, even if it means sucking up to that kid. _

He shrugged, sitting up straighter to which his back gave a satisfying pop, “it was alright, not outstanding but entertaining,” he stood up while he continued talking, “I’m sorry to cut this short, but I have some work to do so I’ll head down to the lab,” he announced. “Can you get back to your room on your own?” He asked, to which I could not help but scoff at him. Raising his hands in mock surrender, “alright, I was just making sure. Goodnight,” with one last pat on the shoulder, he left me. 

To my defense, I didn’t need  _ Tony  _ to get me back to my room, but I may or may not have begrudgingly asked Friday for help. I’m not ashamed to say that getting ready for bed was a surprisingly pleasant experience with just how luxurious literally every single thing in the bedroom and bathroom was. Getting into the most comfortable bed in the entire universe, I finally got to lose myself to unconsciousness.

… 

Honestly, if Tony actually wanted me to get up at a reasonable time he shouldn’t have let me stay in a bed more soft than the clouds of Heaven. Though, eventually I was able to drag myself out of bed and take a quick shower. With only  _ minimal _ help from Friday I stumbled into the common floor kitchen, though instead of Tony being there like I had expected for some reason, it was only Peter. Finally alone with the kid who stole my one chance to spend genuine time with Tony.

_ No no, I can’t be a jerk, if I make him upset again then Tony will be upset and then I’ll be upset and it’ll all be my fault.  _ Instead of doing any of the many  _ many _ things my natural impulsiveness urged me to do, I grumbled out a short, “morning.”

For a second he gaped at me, before sputtering out, “morning- good morning. Um, how did you sleep?” Even he seemed to cringe internally at the awkward question. To my simple reply that it was fine, he kept himself busy flicking his eyes everywhere but me. 

Only then did I really take notice of the sweatshirt absolutely drowning him, “where’d you get your sweater?” I asked, not that I actually care to get one of my own, but there’s no way in hell a kid so seemingly young goes to MIT.  _ But Tony went to MIT…  _

His eyes widened almost comically at my question, “oh! Um…” he drew out the word, “well, it was kinda a gift?” I don’t think he intended to make his answer come out as a question of its own. At my stare he seemed to only squirm more, until finally breaking the silence again, “how was the movie?” His voice was so soft and worried it was almost pitiable.  _ But he is trying, I guess we both want to make Tony happy. _

I wasn’t able to respond though, before the man himself entered the room. With a smile, he greeted both of us a good morning, here we go I guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scooter: Aly and I had been planning to alternate posting but her internet’s been really wonky so I’ll be posting for now. Thank you for reading :)


	4. Chapter 4

_Peter's POV_

I tried my best to seem happy when I said good morning to Mr. Stark, but from the way he looked at me, I'm pretty sure he saw right through me. 

"Morning, Tin Man." Harley greeted him, and I dropped my gaze to the ground. He seemed so familiar with Mr. Stark. 

_Maybe Mr. Stark never mentioned him to me because I'm just not as important as him..._

I shook my head and began fidgeting with the sleeves of my hoodie as I padded over to the cupboard. I grabbed out one of my protein bars instead of having a big breakfast, because Harley was clearly suspicious last night. 

When I turned back around, Mr. Stark was talking to Harley about something, and I couldn't help but listen in. "So where are you thinking about going first? Any preferences?"

Wait, where were they going? I couldn't remember. Wait, Mr. Stark said something about colleges, right? 

Harley looked like he was about to say something, but my mentor beat him to it, taking on a joking tone as he said, "Oh wait, that's my job, isn't it?" 

They both laughed, and I found myself shrinking back. That had to be an inside joke, because that wasn't that funny. 

He's been here a day and already has inside jokes with him? I pursed my lips at the thought and began eating my protein bar. I need to try to be nice to him. He's only here for a little while, then I don't have to see him anymore. And Mr. Stark wants us to get along so badly...

His words from last night came back to me then. " _Did something happen, Kiddo? I thought for sure that you two would get along great. If I did something, or Harles did-"_

I had just forced a smile onto my face and shook my head. " _No, Mr. Stark. I really am just tired. Harley seems nice."_

He'd tried talking to me for a little while longer, making sure I was really okay before retreating back to the living room with Harley. I felt his absence like a missing limb, and tossed and turned all night. 

"Hey, Pete!" Mr. Stark called, drawing me out of my thoughts, and I looked to him like a deer in headlights. 

They were both looking at me weird, and I felt my cheeks flush. Oh god, please tell me they did not just catch me staring blankly at the wall. 

"U-Uh, yes?" I squeaked, nearly choking on my food. 

"You wanna accompany us to check out some schools? We've decided on taking a look at NYU and Columbia today." The billionaire asked me, flashing a hopeful smile. 

I finished my breakfast as I flicked my gaze between them. Mr. Stark obviously wanted me to come with, but the annoyance in Harley's eyes made it seem like he didn't. 

But, if I went with, Mr. Stark would be happy with me. "Sure! I'd love to!" I exclaimed, smiling at them. 

Then, surprisingly, Harley smiled at Mr. Stark too. "Sounds great." It struck me then, that he was trying to make him happy too.

I nodded a little. If we were both trying to get along for Mr. Stark, nothing could go wrong. 

"I'm gonna go get dressed." I said, meeting Mr. Stark's eyes so he knew what I meant. He just nodded. 

"Meet us in the garage, Pete." 

I beamed at him, then quickly made my way to my room and put on my suit and webshooters under my clothes. I kept on the hoodie I stole from Mr. Stark, though. 

Making my way down to the garage afterward, I chuckled. I'd told Harley it was a present, but in actuality, I claimed it from Mr. Stark's closet. 

The car ride was a lot more awkward then I thought it would be, me and Harley both sitting in the back, completely silent. I caught my mentor's eyes multiple times as he glanced back at us worriedly, and I started gnawing at my bottom lip. 

If we didn't do anything the whole time, it would only upset Mr. Stark. I glanced at Harley, who was looking out the window, and sighed quietly. 

"So, um, Harley, do you like science?" The second the words left my mouth, I was blushing again. Of course he liked science if he helped Mr. Stark! Gosh, how stupid could I be?

Harley looked at me and blinked in shock. "Yeah, I do. I'm, uh, guessing you do too?" 

"Uh huh." I nodded, "I like chem and engineering the best, but I love all science."

Harley's eyes widened and I noticed a small smile on his face. It was just because of Mr. Stark, probably. "Me too! When I was little, I used to tinker with anything I found outside or in the trash." 

I noticed him running his hand through his curls and I could've sworn he was even blushing. Why does he have to be so freaking adorable?

"Same! I, uh, still do sometimes. Find parts in the trash." I said, smiling sheepishly. 

"Kiddo, you could literally make anything you want in my lab, why do you still dumpster dive?" Mr. Stark said exasperatedly from the front seat. 

I grinned. "Well, if I don't want to tell you about it, then I can't use your stuff." He made an affronted face, and Harley laughed from beside me. 

I laughed too. Just to make Mr. Stark happy, of course. "I'll be sure to watch you more closely now." My mentor teased as the car rolled to a stop. 

I climbed out before they could even say anything, stretching and walking around the car to stick by Mr. Stark's side. 

Harley went around to his other side, and for a moment I frowned because I wanted to keep talking to him, but then Mr. Stark wrapped his arms around me and I grinned, leaning into his side. He seemed happier. 

All I had to do was keep being nice and he'd leave soon. 

* * *

After we looked around the NYU campus and Mr. Stark told us everything he knew about the school (which was so, so much), my stomach growled audibly, and Harley once again gave me that weird, suspicious look of his, and Mr. Stark suggested we took a break for lunch. 

It was more like an early dinner, though, with how long Mr. Stark went on about the science labs at New York University. "Do we want to go back to the car and find a restaurant? Del Posto is open." Mr. Stark suggested, his hands shoved in his pockets.

I rolled my eyes, and Mr. Blue Eyes just gave us a confused look. "Del Posto is a fancy Italian restaurant that Mr. Stark thinks we need to eat at all the time." I explained. 

"Where else are we supposed to eat?" Mr. Stark actually whined. 

"Food carts!" I exclaimed hopefully, giving him my puppy dog eyes. He caved immediately, and I started in the direction of my favorite food cart. 

The vendor sold hotdogs, and weirdly pizza too. And it was good. "Wait," Harley jogged up beside me, "food carts are real? I thought that was just on TV."

I let out a giggle and slapped my hand over my mouth, turning to gape at him. "Seriously?"

"I grew up in the south, okay?"

I laughed loudly, and heard Mr. Stark snort behind us. "Ooh, there! Come on, Mr. Stark!" I gasped, pointing, and raced over. 

Yet again, Harley gave me a weird look when I ordered three hotdogs and a piece of pizza, but if I were him, I would've been more concerned with my wonderful balancing skills. 

"So, how did you meet Tony?" He asked me once we had gotten our food and were walking back in the direction of Mr. Stark's car. 

"O-Oh," I swallowed a bite of hotdog. "Um, well. I applied to an internship through a school thing and Mr. Stark thought I was impressive or something and decided to have me be his personal intern?" After I said it, I glanced at Mr. Stark to make sure I said the right thing, and he nodded just enough that I could see. 

"Oh. Why do you call him Mr. Stark? You're obviously really close with him." He asked quietly, and he sounded almost... jealous. 

Holy crap, was _he_ jealous of _me_? Why? He's got Mr. Stark's attention, he's known him longer, he's clearly closer to him! "Pete?" Mr. Stark inquired, and I realized I'd stopped walking and they were both staring at me. 

"Uh- Um, sorry. At first I was just being polite because my aunt and uncle raised me to always call everyone Mister or Miss, but now it's mostly just to annoy him." I explained, still trying to figure out why on earth Harley would be jealous of me. 

"Hey!" 

"Oh, the Tin Man didn't mention an uncle. Why'd you have to stay with Tony because your aunt is away?" Harley questioned, and I sucked in a sharp breath at the same time Mr. Stark's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to say something. I beat him to it. 

"My uncle died. A few months before I met Mr. Stark." I said softly, but even as I fiddled with my sleeves, I felt a spark of anger. 

How the hell was my personal life his business? "You don't see me asking about your family." I snapped heatedly, crossing my arms. 

"Kids, please-"

"What the- What is that?" Harley whispered, his voice stiff and shocked. 

I followed his gaze to where my sleeve had ridden up and my suit was completely visible. 

_Shit_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scooter: I am so so proud of iamalystark she really did hold this fic together. She thought up a lotta the ideas and proofread for me, she never ceases to impress me. I really do recommend her other fics because every single one of them truly is outstanding. Thank you for reading :)
> 
> Aly: Im adding this A/N late because i didn't have internet until now because of trees down on power lines, and i won't have it much, but Scooter did wayyy more than she says, she worked really hard on this fic and had a lot of ideas too :))


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aly: this chapter was written by scooter, and i think it's by far the best chapter of this story. she really is the sweetest person and the best author i know, check out her other stories if you haven't already :))

_ Harley’s POV _

The only thing in the world that could have stolen my attention from Peters sudden outburst, was seeing the red gloves poking out from his oversized sweatshirt sleeves. The deep scarlet was lined with a black pattern that unmistakably resembled spiderwebs and  _ oh my god! Oh my god! It looks like the Spider-Man suit!  _

_ How did I not realize it sooner, it all makes sense now. There’s no way in hell even this new and improved Tony Stark would have some random high school kid be his private intern, I knew there had to be more to the story but I didn’t know what. Him eating ungodly amounts and being so close with the most powerful man in the world, everything makes sense now! How the fuck can I compare to Spider-Man? _

My voice was tight, my gaze still glued to his exposed suit, “What the- What is that?” Though I knew the answer, I still needed him to say it. I needed to hear that this puny, vulnerable kid is one of the strongest superheroes out there. And the poor guy didn’t even realize what I was referring to until he looked down and saw his fatal mistake, he froze for a second, not even bothering to cover his arms let alone answer my question. This time, my voice was definitely not a whisper, “What. Is. It,” my words came out as more of a demand than a question.

It was the Old Man who recovered before this supposed Spider-Man did, “Why don’t we head back now?” his voice was even yet still strained. But neither Peter or I moved a millimeter, both of us staring at his blood red suit. “C’mon,” he insisted, grabbing both of us by the arm and physically pulling us away from the food cart. That was what brought Peter out of his trance, and he quickly yanked his sleeves best he could while still somehow holding his too many hotdogs and pizza slice. 

I had to literally bite my tongue to keep from exploding while Tony dragged us to the car, I may be an asshole but I’m not going to out his secret to all of New York, as tempting as that is. Getting to the car, the only movement Peter made was to place his food on the ground, not even finishing one hot dog. To say the drive back to the tower was tense was an understatement as big as The Avengers Tower. 

_ This kid is Spider-Man. And for some reason a literal superhero can’t take care of himself for a few days while his aunt is gone? Yeah he may get lonely but I’ve been taking care of not only me but my sister since my dad left. If a little kid can take care of himself and his even littler sister then why can’t a fucking superhero do it too? He knew I was coming, he came anyway. He just wanted to make sure he could have Tony to himself, the selfish little shit. He didn’t need to be taken care of, he just wanted to make sure that I didn’t get too close to Tony.  _

The only sound on the drive back was Tony’s phone ringing again and again, and after only the sixth time of that stupid ringing I was ready to chuck the thing out the window.  _ I can’t give Peter a piece of my mind with Tony here, that’ll only make him hate me. He’s too protective of the kid, he can clearly handle himself if he fights crime and all that shit.  _

The Tin Man only answered his Stark Phone once we got back to the Tower, giving a sharp, “What? Pep, I really can’t deal with SI right now, I have something to take care of,” there was a pause before he continued, “I don’t give a fuck what the board thinks-” he must have got cut off by the person on the other side of the call.

I guess Peter couldn’t handle it, because he left the car before Tony could hang up, abandoning his food in the process. I followed suit, leaving my uneaten hot dog in the car while following Peter close behind. The second we were in the safety of the elevator, when Tony could not come to his rescue once again, I finally snapped, “what the actual fuck, Peter?”

He actually flinched at my words,  _ and this kid is supposed to be a superhero?  _ And yet he still couldn’t come up with anything to say, should I even be surprised? “I know you’re wearing the Spider-Man suit, anyone older than four would recognize it instantly, how does the whole world not know who you are yet?” I’m not sure if I really intended to be so mocking but I’m not mad at it. He’s the one who stole my one chance to spend time with Tony. 

And that is when he finally got the nerve to look me in the eye, “and what do you care? So what if I’m Spider-Man?” He challenged, with just as much heat as he had earlier when I asked about his family. The elevator arrived at the common floor and Peter made his escape like a mouse fleeing from a cat, or rather, like a spider escaping a shoe. 

I did not hesitate to chase after him, “Are you fucking kidding me?” I laughed at him, though it came out more in a snarl, “you’re telling me that  _ Spider-Man  _ can’t take care of himself for one week? That you just had to come here because you can’t be trusted alone for a few days?” My tone shifted from mocking to straight up pissed, “You just wanted to make sure I couldn’t get close with Tony again!” I accused.

He whipped around so fast I’m shocked he didn’t get whiplash, “me? Me steal Tony?” He had the audacity to look both enraged and confused, “look at you Mr. Southern Boy who just suddenly sweeps in and steals my mentor from me!”  _ Ex-fucking-cuse me? He blames me? He gets to see Tony all the time and I can’t get one fucking week with him! I didn’t even get one day! _

“I didn’t even get an hour with Tony before you intruded! I haven’t seen him in years and all I ask for is one week, there’s no way that’s selfish! ” I argued. “You get to see Tony all the time and yet I can’t get any time with him. Why couldn’t you give me any alone time with him?” I didn’t mean for my voice to soften at the question, coming out more desperate than livid like all my previous statements were. 

He let out a shaky breath, “I wasn’t trying to take him from you, I’m not the one who asked to stay here. Tony said my aunt didn’t want me to be alone, he said we would get along,” Peter insisted, attempting to take all the blame off himself.  _ Can I really trust him though? Of course he doesn’t want me to blame him, he could just be making excuses.  _ He continued on before I could think of a response. He didn’t yell this time either, and only then did I notice how glassy his eyes were, “y’know I was actually starting to like you and then everything got ruined.”  _ I’m not sure if my face was more red from my anger or from him saying he liked me…  _

I forced a deep breath in and out, “I’m not the one that couldn’t hide my superhero suit,” it was my turn to try to shrug off the blame this time, though I had a small smirk on my face.  _ Maybe that will hide how glassy my eyes are too. _


	6. Chapter 6

_Peter's POV_

I glared at the ground as I heard Harley breathing in frustration a few feet from me and I blinked uselessly, trying to keep the tears in my eyes from falling. Why the hell was I crying, anyway? 

I shouldn't care what Harley thinks of me, I don't care. Do I? I shook my head and wiped at my eyes, bringing my irritated gaze back to Harley's shining blue eyes. 

O-Oh. Why was _he_ crying? It didn't matter. "The last time I didn't have my suit with me, I almost died. Some really bad people almost got away with a lot of Mr. Stark's stuff. Stuff they were using to make powerful weapons. So forgive me for not wanting to risk anything happening again." 

Harley was gaping at me his eyes wide and mouth open in shock and whatever else I couldn't decipher. "I didn't... I didn't know." He whispered, sounding so unbelievably sad. 

"You probably didn't know that my aunt has been extremely overprotective of me since I watched my uncle bleed out in an alley way either, did you?" I replied, my tone softening. 

I watched Harley then, sniffling as I struggled to hold back my tears. "N-No. I didn't." 

I sunk down onto the couch with a soft sniffle and wiped at my eyes as a tear fell. "I never meant to take up your time with Mr. Stark. I... I lost my dad, when I was just a little kid. I don't even remember him. Then, I lost my Uncle Ben, and he was the closest thing I had to a father figure in my life. When I met Mr. Stark, I don't think either of us knew how close we'd become, but..." 

I took a large, shaky breath, and I couldn't stop wondering why I was being so emotional. "He's the closest thing I'll ever have to a dad, and I think my aunt knows that. Then Mr. Stark tells me he has somebody for me to meet and I see you, and you're my age, and he calls you kid, and- and what else was I supposed to think besides him replacing me? I'd never heard of you, and then you show up and have inside jokes and call him all sorts of nicknames and you've known him for years. How could I ever measure up?" 

I hadn't noticed that my eyes had slowly traveled to my hands until Harley took in a shaky breath and I looked up to him. 

I felt a crushing guilt when I saw tears rolling down his face. _I'd never meant to make him cry..._

Harley cleared his throat and wiped at his eyes. "I-I... My dad left me when I was barely old enough to remember him. I was just a nobody from Rose Hill, Tennessee with a deadbeat dad and a mom that was never around, and a little sister to take care of, and..."

Why was I crying again? 

"I'm a nobody, I was just that little kid everyone loved to pick on, and then Tony Stark appeared in my garage when the whole world thought he was dead and suddenly I was somebody, and I helped Iron Man, and maybe it was because I was a stupid little kid, but I thought that Tony cared and that he would want to keep me around. I just wanted... My mom told me a few weeks ago that she reached out to him, she wanted me to have options, and a recommendation from Tony Stark can get you places, you know?" 

His voice had slowly gotten softer and smoother and neither of us were crying anymore. And his accent was so freaking adorable. 

He met my gaze, and I saw only raw emotion in his ocean eyes. "And I thought I'd finally get a little bit of time with the man I look up to, but apparently he had some other kid to mentor and you're so close to him, you get to see him whenever, and it's so obvious he loves you, and I don't know how I'm supposed to measure up to that." 

I startled at the word love, but as he spoke, everything he said really hit me. Mr. Stark loved me. But was Harley blind or something? 

"You know he loves you too, right? He looks at you almost exactly like he looks at me. He cares about both of us, and he wanted us to get along because he wanted us to be happy." I pointed out, then I shrugged lightly, looking away for a second then looking back. "I guess we were both trying too much to keep him happy to see that." 

"I-" Harley swallowed. Blinked. His hands were shaking. "I don't think any of us are very good at expressing our feelings." 

"You are 100% right." 

Harley's head snapped to the side at the exact same time as mine, and we spotted Mr. Stark standing at the elevator with red rimmed eyes. 

"Wha- How long have you been standing there?" I asked at the same time Harley asked,

"Are you _crying_?" 

Mr. Stark sniffed, tilting his head up. "Absolutely not. I am, however, a bad role model and I have no idea why either of you would see me like that. I have concluded that this is all my fault and I really need to communicate better." 

Harley blinked owlishly at him. "Concluded? Did you have to study a dictionary for that one? Nobody just uses concluded in a sentence, you-"

I bursted out laughing, covering my mouth with my hand as I watched Mr. Stark's mouth drop open in faux offense. 

Harley started laughing too, and the billionaire couldn't keep up the charade, a large grin taking over his face. 

"Great, you're laughing! We had a heart-to-heart, and you two are friends now, right?" Mr. Stark clapped his hands together, smiling hopefully. 

"Okay, first up, _we_ had a heart-to-heart, not you Old Man. And second up," Harley looked to me hesitantly, and I couldn't help but smile. I nodded. "Yeah. We're friends now."

But I couldn't help but think as I stared into his almost-hypnotizing blue eyes, that I wanted to be more than friends.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scooter: this was not only the least stressful but most fun co-write I’ve ever done and I am so so honored to have been able to work with iamalystark. I’m so proud of how she ended this fic, I couldn’t have come up with a better ending myself. Thank you for the support and for reading :)
> 
> Aly: for my first co-write, im so so happy it was with scooter. she's really so extremely kind and has the best ideas and great writing, id definitely love to write with her again. she doesn't give herself full credit, she really helped with this chapter too, giving me ideas and helping me figure out how to end it. thank you guys for reading and for your wonderful comments :))


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